Titanic Gateway: First Expedition
by Shrapnel893
Summary: A side story featuring Hange's attempts at acquiring more info about the Titans along with the Special Operations and the newly formed Special Investigation Squads. (Slight AU)
1. Worth Something

**Chapter One: Worth Something**

"Petra, move out of the way!" Ines shouted, taking her chipped blade and pushing her out of the way. The Titan was right on her heels, moving fast, gaining speed. The moment Petra got clear she threw it, the blade piercing the Titan's eye. It ran into a tree, further running the blade through its socket. Blood spurted from the wound and bathed bark, staining it crimson black. Ines took her other blade out, the last one she had, and wiped the gore from its edges. Next to her, Petra was panting heavily.

"Thanks, Ines!" she said, hunched over and wheezing. Wiping the sweat from her forehead, she looked up and frowned. "But, I think I... errm... _peed_ myself..."

Ines blinked and let out a small laugh. "Is that so? Other than that, you're fine? Right?"

"Yeah, and again, it's all thanks to you!"

"It's not dead yet," Ines pointed out, the Titan's muscles twitching. "Have you seen our horses?" she asked, looking around.

Petra shook her head. "No, they're still missing."

"Then, in the meantime, we need to get to higher ground. We can't stay here on these low branches, exposed as we are."

"Right, I'll follow your lead..."

/-.-.-.-\

Special Operations Squad Captain Levi stared into the thicket below, his expression blank. Beside him, his second in command, Eld Jinn, was checking the map for routes. "Any sign of them?" he asked without looking up from the piece of paper, huddled over it for close analysis. "Your eyesight is better than mine, Captain..."

"I'll tell you when I've spotted anything." Captain Levi replied.

"Oi, Captain, these rations taste like wet stone!" Oluo Bozado complained, waving a handful of soggy crackers in the air.

"Blame the rain, and stop bothering the Captain! He's trying to concentrate!" Gunther cut in. "If you have time to complain about the rations then watch the perimeter for any approaching Titans!"

"Yeah, yeah..." Oluo grumbled, shutting up. He sat down on his branch and stared out, hand on chin, and yawned. "They could be dead already... for all we know..."

"You don't know that yet, give them some time, will you?"

/-.-.-.-\

Ines waited until Petra made it to her position before crouching down and pointing skyward, to the left. "That's where they are right now," she said, her voice level. "But they'll only take one of us, and-"

"I think it should be you, Ines," Petra confessed, touching her hair like she always did when matters important to her were being discussed. "I mean, it's true that I happen to be fond of Captain Levi and the Squad and all, but my skills compared to yours are-"

"Petra..."

Petra grimaced and averted her gaze at some overhanging leaves. "I just think you'd be better suited to the Special Operations Squad than someone like me, you know? I'd just slow them down and be a burden."

"You shouldn't think that," Ines told her, frowning as she put a hand on her shoulder. "You want to know what _I _think? _I_ think, you should be the one to be picked, not me." She caught Petra's watery eye, noting the sad look on her friend's face. "Me, I'm not suited to working with _him_ – I just can't bring myself to like him as a person. You understand, right?"

"I..."

Ines smiled and hefted her blade against the tree. "I have an idea..."

"W-what are you going to do?!" Petra exclaimed, eyes wide as Ines lined her forearm with the blade's edge. "Don't tell me you're-!"

"Trust me." Ines smiled as she slashed her arm horizontally across, blood pouring from the wound as she winced in pain. "I'll make it look like I was injured and you had to rescue, thus they'd have to acknowledge your worth. Then they'd have to accept you!" She dug the blade deeper into her wound, more blood spewing forth.

Petra grabbed her friend's wrist and pulled her arm away from the blade. "Ines, stop it! You don't have to do this for me! I'm... not worth it..." Her eyes formed into misty pools of green and she buried her head into Ines's breast, sobbing.

Ines stroked her reddish-orange hair and glanced down at her bloody arm, the sleeve of her uniform soaked in red, the fabric slashed and torn. "You are worth it Petra." She smiled, pushing her away. "You're one of my best friends, after all." Taking up her blade again, she sunk the tip of coiled metal into the branch and laid her forearm the hilt. Still smiling, she broke the bone with a snap and cried out, the sound making birds in the trees to fly away in fright.

Petra was silent with horror at the sight of Ine's dangling arm, a sudden rage filling her sense of reason. "Why... how could you do that for someone like me?!" she shouted, pointing a finger; tears streaming down her cheeks. "I already told you that I'm-!"

"Worth it." Ines finished for her, holding her now broken arm.

"Dammit all!" Petra cried, balling her hands into fists. Wiping away her tears, she pulled spare cloth from a pocket in her uniform and took Ines's hand in hers. "Let me... see it..." she said, her hand shaking.

"Alright, Petra..." Ines replied softly, presenting the arm. She watched as Petra carefully wrapped it. Petra didn't meet her friend's eyes.

"Let's... just get going," she said, putting an arm around Ine's shoulder for support. "We can't waste anymore time."

"I'm doing this for you, Petra, remember that, ok? Don't you ever feel ashamed about my decisions. They're mine alone and-"

"I know, can we just...?"

"Go ahead. Lead on..."

The two friends came to Captain Levi and the Special Operations Squad's positions minutes later, where afterward, back in the Scouting Legion Headquarters, Petra was chosen as the newest member of Special Operations while Ines got immediate medical treatment.


	2. The Commander

**Chapter Two: The Commander**

The concrete walls of the Scouting Legion's Headquarters, illuminated by wall torches, made the room seem ominous and forbidding. Almost as if she wasn't here for an evaluation – more of an interrogation. Though, with the way Commander Erwin was running things now, the possibility of the meeting being an interrogation wasn't far fetched. Rapping her fingers on the wooden table, making sure not to get one of them stuck in the many holes that rotted its core, stared in the deep blue eyes of the man opposite. Eyes that searched, that probed her for answers since before she'd even sat down minutes before, her injured arm in a splint. No casts, since they were short of supplies from the last expedition. Like all the others, it'd been costly, including the temporary loss of her right arm, but she was fine with it. Since Petra had been the one she'd broken it for. The rest of him: standard Scouting Legion uniform, cropped parted blonde hair, appropriately masculine face, thick eyebrows that always seemed to point down, making him to appear thoughtful and menacing at the same time. Just by his appearance, she could tell why'd he'd been chosen.

Commander Erwin, Erwin Smith, the newly appointed 13th Commander of the Scouting Legion, had been staring at the door, waiting for her to arrive. Even when she did, he didn't stop staring, although this time his gaze had shifted to her face. Angular, a strong look in her brown eyes. A look that held fire, burning embers of determination and skill and passion. Long hair as black as charcoal that reached down to just a few centimeters from her shoulders; straight, not curly. Her right arm held in place by a sling and splint, the white cloth wrapping around her shoulder, the crispness of her uniform, as it had been recently given back. The tears and rips still visible, but no more blood. Her eyes again. That fire. It's what he's been searching for, there was no doubt anymore.

"Ines Brandt, thank you for willingly coming here to speak with me," he said in a monotone voice, keeping his emotions detached, his voice low.

"I couldn't just say no to the Commander, sir." Ines replied, her eyes moving from him to a torch behind, then back. "It must have been urgent, to call me when I was still recovering from my injuries."

Commander Erwin rested his hand on the table. "That's right, the reason I've summoned you is of top priority," he confirmed, blinking for the first time. "Regarding the last expedition," he pulled out a report from his beneath his jacket and laid it on table, "you were injured quite severely despite all the Titans having been wiped out, the last one by Petra Ral, which was confirmed by you, who, had to be also be rescued by Ral. Though, something doesn't sit right with me." He nodded at her right arm. "If I take both of your trainee scores into account, plus the evaluations on your aptitudes under pressure as well as countless other factors, it would seem that the outcome should have been the opposite. Tell me this: you were really the one to kill that last Titan, am I wrong?"

Ines was silence for a beat before responding: "Yes, sir, I was the one who really eliminated the Titan."

"And were you also the one who rescued Petra? Is your injury a result of this?"

"Yes, I also was the one who rescued her, not the other way around. The injury," she tugged on her sleeve, looking at it briefly, "was a result of my own choice..."

The Commander leaned forward, as if he didn't quite catch all of what she had to say when, in fact, she hadn't revealed anything about her injury at all. Ines noticed this and continued:

"I used my dulled blade from taking out the Titan to severely injury my own arm, and I also made Petra take all the credit, for rescuing me, for killing the Titan. But, I did it because she's one of my best friends! Also, I have to confess, Captain Levi rubs me the wrong way, I don't like I'd even stand working with him the way she can, so-"

"It was the obvious choice to have Ral become the new member of the Special Operations Squad."

"Right, that's what I was thinking at the time," she slammed a fist onto the table, gritting her teeth, "and I don't regret doing it one bit!"

Leaning back again, Commander Erwin lapsed into silence, deep in thought. Soon, he put his hands back on the table, staring down at the report. Taking it in his hands, he tore it down the middle and crumbled the two halves, one in each hand, then presented the wadded up remains to her. "What do you did is unorthodox, usually, one would take the opportunity to only think of themselves given the situation. Thus, they'd opt to go ahead and join the Special Operations Squad themselves, leaving all the other potentials behind. A rise in status; a rise in rank; a rise in importance." Crushing the piece in his left hand, he tossed it over his shoulder, leaving only the right one. "You choose to give all that up for the sake of your friend, even hurting yourself in the process. A quality rarely seen here, or anywhere now, for what it's worth." He placed the remaining piece on the table and pushed it to her. "This represents your choice, this insignificant piece of crumbled paper; _the selfless choice_. The one I threw away is the other, discarded, choice; _the selfish choice_. Today, I'm here to ask you this one insignificant question: would you be willing to make another selfless choice again, for my sake?"

"Yes, I would," Ines answered without hesitation, her eyes burning with a passion the Commander had seen countless times before, and yet, none that was quite like the woman's before him. It held more than just a simple flame; more of a raging inferno that would never cease to burn until everything before it was ash and smoke.

"Would you be willing to the leader of the Special Investigation Squad?" he asked, staring the inferno down with the ice in his eyes, cooling them. Shaping them. It was no use; his eyes were no match for hers and his intimidation was engulfed, which surprised him for a moment, a new sensation rising in his chest. _Pride_. A small and barely noticeable smirk crept onto his lips as he heard the answer he'd knew was coming without a second thought:

"I'd be honored, Commander Erwin."

Blinking twice now, he rose from his chair, looking down upon her as an equal. "Then, _Captain_ Ines, you'll be working with Squad Leader Hange Zoe for the time being, and together, the two of you will jointly dig up more about the Titans while also searching for your four potential squad member candidates." Walking past her, he stopped right in front of the door. "This meeting is dismissed, you can go back to your quarters now."

"Yes, sir!"

"And Captain?" His head was slightly turned so that one eye was fixed on her eyes. "Don't ever let that flame go out."

Ines sat there after the Commander had left, trying to wrap her brain around the new development, her new position. Her new responsibility. Could she handle it? She didn't know yet as she dig her hand into her thigh. But there was one thing she did know: the Commander would be watching her progress from now on, and that she mustn't let him down.


	3. Titan Enthusiast

**Chapter Three: Titan Enthusiast**

Ines made her way cautiously into the Legion Headquarter's dining hall, where she'd been told that a woman named Hange was to be waiting for her. Along the concrete wall, every groove and nick felt, eventually she came to the two wooden doors. They were worn from time and she could see bits of split wood poking out around the handles, giant metal bars of iron, and was careful not to get any splinters as she eased herself inside.

"No, no, no, no! That isn't how they move!" a masculine voice exclaimed as Ines came forward, the doors closing with a creak then soft thud. The dining hall was smaller than you'd expect, two rows of five tables each, no windows, and only wall torches for light. Just for extra comfort, there were candles placed on the center of each table, since some people don't like eating in the ominous atmosphere from the torches. To save supplies and expenses, the Commander had required all candles be the pillar type, and in a square style, to match the rectangular dimensions of the dining hall. As Ines walked past the first table, she glanced at one of the candles and couldn't help but think that despite what everyone said of the Commander, he had a soft side; even if it was only limited to matching the candles to the rest of the room. At the foot of the very last table in the first row, were three people, members of the Scouting Legion; two males and one female. Two of them were sitting down on either side, while the third was up and about, flailing her arms and seething. It took Ines a moment to realize that the voice from earlier had been _hers, _and it quickly went into a high pitched squeal. As Ines edged closer to the table, the woman was still running her mouth, telling the other two all about the joints that allowed a Titan to move the way it did.

"And secondly, depending on the class, their limbs with be elongated! It's not a matter of how similar their autonomy is to ours, it's all about how our autonomy is similar to _theirs_!"

"Um, Squad Leader," one of the men said, blinking and pointing at Ines, who was beside him. "I think this person's here to see you." Ines nodded in confirmation and studied the woman who was to be her partner for the time being. The first thing that stood out, other than that voice, was her glasses. Wooden, square in structure, and, if she hadn't known any better, they would've appeared to be fused to her face. The woman's brown hair was tied into a frilly looking ponytail, a knot of wild hair going in multiple directions all at once. Her body was slender and her uniform wrinkled. It also appeared to be dirty, like she'd previously been rolling around in the dirt outside minutes before. At the mention of Ines's presence, the woman blinked rapidly then danced around in some odd gesture and shooed the other two off, then sighed loudly and punched the table.

"Those idiots! Nobody appreciates the work I've been doing for the good of humanity! Have they learned nothing besides how to fall asleep when someone's lecturing them?!" she huffed and glared at Ines, looking her up and down. Sizing her up. She smiled. "So, you're the new Captain, eh, eh, eh?! Eh?! Not bad, not bad at all!" She nodded with a hand on her chin and circled Ines, stopping directly in front of her face. She shot out her hand and enthusiastically shook Ines's, her brown eyes twinkling. "Hange Zoe! You can call me Zoe, or Hange, no- wait, it's whatever you prefer!" She chuckled and spun around like some eccentric dancer then plopped down into one of the many chairs at the table. "And you? What should I address you as? Can I call you Benny?"

_Hell no, you can't_. Is what Ines wanted to say, rubbing her hand. It was red from how the other woman had been squeezing. "Ines, call me Ines, Hange."

"Alright, Ines it is! You know, I happen to like that much better than Benny, wouldn't you say? I mean, it fits you better since you're a woman and all, but, ah," she counted on her fingers quickly with a contorted expression on her face, "we have to get moving now, no time to waste!" She jumped up and grabbed Ines by the forearm, and with a bit of hesitance and struggling on Ines's part, led her out of the dining hall into the courtyard of Headquarters. "And here we are, just like that! Now!" Hange turned to Ines and pursed her lips, then leaned in and stared her dead on in the face. "How much do you know?"

"Know...? A-about what?" Ines asked, leaning back. Hange was obviously too close for anyone's comfort to bear.

Hange's shock became apart when she leaned back and turned around, mumbling to herself. Suddenly, as quick as lightning, she spun back around. "So you don't know anything, huh? Well, this is going to be fun! I get to show and tell all that I've discovered up until this point in time! Isn't that just exciting?!"

"Y-yeah, sure... but what exactly do-"

"Titans! Of course! What else would I want to talk about?!"

Ines sighed and sat down on one of the stones they used to encircle the many small gardens in the courtyard, ready to bear with the blunt of what Hange was going to tell her. To start, she went into length about what a Titan is and how they are classified, their characteristics, and mannerisms. Without pausing for breath she then went on to explain her newly formed theories on how they were able to move about, how they reacted to situations, and why they didn't digest their food. Titans didn't move at night, and she also elaborated on why she thought this was and what they do the moment night ends and first light breaks. All throughout her talking, Ines wondered if she had more than two lungs to suck air in and out of, because she never shut up. She never stopped her flow or words, and eventually, her movements became erratic as she became more animated and sure of herself and her theories. By the time she'd just finished the last of all she had to say, ending with the first order of business being that she wanted to capture one alive, night had fallen, the stars blinking in and out of existence faintly in the sky.

Plopping down next to Ines now, Hange's face was still beaming, hands in her lap. "Tomorrow, I want to start right away! We need to gather a squad for you also, since you can't be a Captain without direct subordinates!" She didn't wait for any response. "So then it's decided, yes? You and me, we'll go through the ranks and find round up some men and snap to it as soon as we can!" Hange was shaking and she held up a hand. "See this? I'm so excited I can barely sit still! I might just explode from all the tension!"

_Please move away_. "Hange, how are we supposed to capture on of them alive? We'd have to isolate one target, distract the rest, then somehow manage to subdue that one entity, then haul it back here. That's nearly impossible without a full-"

"Six people will be enough for the job, trust me on this," Hange replied with all the determination of a suicidal maniac. "We'll go after one of the smaller ones, you and me! The other four will keep the others busy! That's why we're going to scour the whole Legion, maybe even the Garrison and the Military Police if we have to, for the right volunteers for the job."

"Volunteers, right..." _Those poor bastards_.

Without warning, Hange got up and stretched, moaning with relief and looked down at her new partner for her experiments. "Let's get something to eat, we'll be no good in the morning on empty stomachs!"

"Right." Ines got up and hurried after the other woman, who was swiftly making her way back to the dining hall. _There's all types_, Ines thought, not as certain as Hange seemed to be that anyone, Military, Legion, or Garrison, would go along willingly for a crazy operation that an even crazier person whipped out in her mad rants one day. As the two of them came in front of the entrance, Ines felt a ping of doubt that she was fit to be a Captain, but the unparalleled confidence, or stupidity, she wasn't quite sure which, that burned off Hange's person, she was certain that she'd be just fine.


End file.
